Trying to Even the Odds
by S. C. Hardy
Summary: When Davis tries to make TK less desireable to Kari, something goes horribly wrong. Hopefully this will get posted...the last three chapters weren't....
1. Trying to Even the Odds

What happens when Davis tries to make TK less desirable to Kari? **I am still working on "How did I Fall in Love with You?** but I had to write this because the idea just came to me!!

~~S.C. Hardy

# ~* Trying to Even the Odds *~

It was a normal day in the Digital world. The sun was shining and the grass was green. It was one of those days that it was hard to wear a frown. All the Digimon stopped and said hello to the new Digidestined, even though it was a tad bit cold to be outside of their homes. (A/N Do Digimon have homes?) 

The Digidestined had decided to go on a picnic since it was the first day of winter vacation in the real world and well; they had nothing else to do. 

Yolei and Davis were arguing about where they should set the picnic, with Cody and Ken trying to keep them both separated. TK and Kari lagged behind, taking slow steps and laughing at the situation ahead.

"Come ON Yolei! Why would we want to set it in front of a waterfall?? Kari—I mean, _we'll_ get wet!" Yolei rolled her eyes and Kari gagged. TK smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, giving Kari a sideways hug. She blushed at this gesture, and wrapped her arms around TK's waist, getting in front of him and stopping him. 

"Oh, you find this _humorous_, eh?" She whispered, pushing him softly. TK eyed her carefully.

"What? Davis trying to keep you dry? Yeah, it's hilarious!" He broke away from her and started to jog backwards towards the lake. "But I bet he wouldn't _mind_ if you got wet!" He stuck his tongue out at her and Kari started to chase him. 

"Come here you fool!" She giggled happily, passing the others. Davis was stunned as he watched Kari tackle TK to the ground and lay _on top_ of him! 

"Oh my goodness…" He whispered, dying inside. Yolei patted his shoulder sarcastically. 

"Aw, poor Davis. Too bad, she never liked you anyway!" Davis shot her a really dirty look, and stormed off into the forest. Yolei rolled her eyes and followed him. "Aw come on Davis, I was only kidding around!" 

Cody and Ken watched as the two walked off into the forest. They then turned to TK and Kari. Kari was lying in TK's arms as he played softly with her hair. The two looked down at the Digimon, all of them stunned by the events. 

"What was that about?" Armadillomon asked Cody, pointing towards TK and Kari. Cody shrugged.

"Um, let's leave those two alone…come on guys, let's set up the picnic right here." Ken nodded and bent down to open up the blanket. The Digimon nodded, Veemon already having his head stuck in the basket ("Hey, I was hungry!") 

Davis stormed away from the others and stopped in the middle of a brush. ARGH! Why did Kari have to do that to him? Especially with…with…_HIM_! Davis sat down in the middle of the bushes, looked at them. Weird green berries grew on all the bushes. He watched them carefully, getting an awful idea. If he remembered correctly, these were the berries that turned his and Veemon's tongue green…aw, now would Kari want to kiss TK if his tongue was _green_?? He snickered at his thoughts. He started to pick some of the berries, and he placed them in his little pouch that he had conveniently brought along.

"DAVIS!" Yolei screamed. He jumped up and saw that Yolei was on the other side of the brush. "I'm sorry alright? Come on and let's get to the food!" Davis' smile grew about ten times its original size and he raced past Yolei to the picnic. 

Yolei sighed, shook her head, and started to walk after Davis. 

When the two finally reached the picnic, Cody, Ken, TK, Kari, and all the Digimon had already set up everything and now were just waiting. 

"They're here!" Veemon exclaimed. "Can we eat now??" Kari smiled and patted Veemon on the head.

"Go right ahead." Davis smiled at the gesture, until he realized that TK had his arm around her waist. His face started to grow red, and he plopped himself down, next to Patamon. 

Davis waited until the others had gone to look at the waterfall before he unleashed his devious plan. He found TK's cup and plate. Davis squished the berries over his cup and the berry juice slowly dripped into the red juice. Davis slowly shook the cup and the green mixed in with the red. Then, he placed a few cautiously in his hamburger, hidden underneath the lettuce and pickle. 

Satisfied with his work, Davis lied down on the blanket, and waited for the others to come back. 

"I can't believe you did that Kari!" TK exclaimed, wringing the water out of his hat. Kari had snuck up from behind him and pushed him in the lake! Kari giggled and tickled his sides.

"Oh, you big baby!" She pulled him down to the blanket so that he was leaning over her and they stared into each other's eyes. 

"Uh, excuse me!" Davis yelled. "Some people are trying to eat!" Yolei nodded laughing.

"Yeah, you two are making us gag!" She smiled and winked at Kari. Kari smiled and picked up her drink. TK did the same and they put them out towards the middle of the blanket.

"Cheers to the new Digidestined!" TK shouted. They all lifted their glasses and clanged them together.

"Hooray!" They cheered, all of them taking a drink of their juice. Davis watched as TK smirked as he swallowed his. Davis snickered and took a sip of his drink. 

After they had all eaten (TK had completely finished his hamburger as Davis tried to contain his laughter.) the group set off towards the beach, where they would set up their volleyball net.

As they walked the path, Kari noticed that TK was lagging further and further behind. She stopped and let him catch up to her. He didn't look too happy, almost sick.

"TK? What's up?" She whispered, wrapping an arm around his waist. He looked down at her and sent a weak smile. 

"Hey…I'm just a little…tired, I guess." Kari didn't buy it, and she pulled one of his long arms around her shoulders. Immediately, TK leaned on her for support as his legs gave way.

"Guys!" Kari screamed. "Help!" They all turned around, Ken and Davis running towards them. TK was now almost falling on top of Kari, his eyes going in and out of focus.

"What's wrong with him?" Ken asked, asked he and Davis pulled TK off Kari and laid him on the soft grass. Kari kneeled down beside him and softly touched his face. TK didn't like the fact that everyone was fussing over him,

"Guys, I'm fine, just a little dizzy, okay?" Kari helped him sit up and looked into his eyes. They didn't have the same sparkle that she always found there, and that worried her. Davis stomped his foot and drove his hands in his pockets.

"Aw come on guys! Once we get to the beach, TK can take a nap under a tree while we all enjoy the sun! What do ya say?" No one answered, turning to TK for his response. Davis groaned as TK shrugged,

"Um, sure. I'll be able to make it." He looked at Kari and nodded softly. She sighed and nodded.

"Okay, but Ken?" She looked at the blue haired boy. Ken looked up, a concerned look on his face. "Could you help him?" TK tried to protest.

"Kari, no, it's okay! I'm…fine." Kari looked at Ken and just sighed.

"Oh, alright. Come on you baby." Ken and Kari helped TK up and the group started off again.

The two girls went off into a separate section of stalls that they had set up earlier and changed into their bathing suits. The boys already had theirs on and all they needed to do was take of their shirts and shoes. 

Kari and Yolei came out looking stunning as the boys set up the net. TK was also helping, but it was agonizing for him to be doing such labor, even if it was only holding up one of the poles. Patamon helped him (at least tried), and then he looked up at his friend.

"TK, you're really red in the face, come on, sit down." TK looked down and forced a smile, 

"I'm…fine, I already told you. It's just…the _heat_." He gasped and fell to his knees, grabbing on to his stomach. "Uh…" He moaned, falling to his side. 

"**TK**!" Patamon screamed, flying a foot above him. "Get up!" The others noticed the commotion and ran over.

"What happened?" Ken asked calmly to Patamon, helping TK onto his back. TK's eyes were shut tightly and he clenched his teeth. Patamon tried to hold back the tears and told Ken.

"He-he'd been really red this whole time, like he wasn't able to breath or something, and when I asked him what was-sob-wrong, he said fine, but then he collapsed!" Patamon squeaked. Kari was by TK's side, holding his hand tightly. 

"I knew he was sick! Oh, but he was fine when we got here!" It finally hit Davis. It was probably the berries he had put in his food! _Oh crap!_ He thought. _It was only meant to turn his tongue green!_

Davis backed away from the group and ran to his backpack. 

"Gotta tell the others…" He mumbled to himself. 

To: Soccer 4 Life (Tai), Rckstr (Matt), Flower_Power (Sora), Prodigious27 (Izzy), Dr_2B (Joe) 

From: Goggle Boy

AH! Guys, you are needed at the Digital Beach!! TK is very sick; we don't know what happened!! Please hurry!!!

~~Davis

Sent

Davis sighed and put his head in his hands. 

"DAVIS!" Yolei screamed. Davis shot his head up and looked over. "COME OVER HERE YOU IDIOT AND HELP US PUT TK ON THE BENCH!" Davis nodded, feeling the guilt in his gut, and ran over to help. 

To be continued….


	2. Don't Leave Me

Chapter 2 

(It's longer then the first part by a couple of paragraphs! Hehe)

Matt ran down the hallways of his old junior high school. Taking two steps at a time he made it up three flights of stairs in record time. He raced down the corridor towards the computer lab, his heart and head pounding. He saw that the door was open and he grabbed on to the frame and swung himself in.

He slid into computer room, almost dropping all of his books in the process. He nearly collided with Izzy as he gained his composure. Tai, Joe, Izzy, and Sora stared at him strangely. Matt just glared at them.

"Why are we still here?" He demanded. "TK's in trouble!" Tai nodded but then sighed. 

"We're waiting for one of the kids. We can't open the portal, remember?" Matt's face burned with anger at this realization. He pulled a chair out from under a desk and sat down roughly on it, almost falling down. 

Suddenly, the monitor in front of Joe started to glow and a weird static like sound cracked the air. Matt stood up quickly and was in front of the computer to catch…Davis?!

Davis fell on top of Matt with a thump and Matt quickly pushed him off.

"Open the gate!" Matt screamed at him. Davis nodded nervously and placed his D-3 in front of the monitor. The light shone again and Matt was gone. Tai, Izzy, and Sora went in right after him, but Davis grabbed on to Joe before he could leave. 

"What Davis? I need to help TK!" Davis nodded his head softly. 

"I know, but Joe…there's something I need to tell you." Davis filled Joe in on every detail of his wrongdoing and Joe just stared at him. He shook his head slightly, a disgusted look on his face and jumped into the computer. 

Davis sighed and followed in Joe's footsteps. 

Kari held TK's limp hand as Ken placed a wet rag on his forehead. TK now had a fever and it was rising at uneven intervals. Cody looked up from his locked position on TK, and saw tall figures running towards them. He squinted his eyes in the light and realized that they were the older Digidestined. 

"They're here!" He yelled, jumping up to his feet. Kari let go of TK's hand and turned her head quickly to see Matt far ahead of the others running towards them.

Matt jumped over the cooler they had brought and slid (as well as he could on sand) on his knees next to Kari. He stared at TK…nervously. He didn't see his brother. He saw a boy with no expressions, no bright eyes, and no goofy grin. Matt's eyes filled with tears as he stared at this boy and he carefully took his weak hand. 

Joe didn't want to make Matt leave his brother's side, but he asked him to scoot over as he checked over TK's condition. Sweat drops covered TK's face and bare chest (Joe had taken his shirt off to check his heart). His blonde hair was plastered to his face and his eyes were closed softly and his breathing was short and steady for he had fallen asleep.

"Why don't we just take him to the real world?" Matt asked Joe softly, pushing some hair out of his little brother's face. Joe shook his head. 

"There's no telling what this…virus or whatever could do if it enters the real world. It might…it could kill him." Matt shot him a dark look and then turned back to his brother. 

Izzy stood away from the group, under the umbrella by himself until Davis joined him. Izzy didn't make any indication that he noticed Davis at all. Davis wrung his hands, he had an idea, but he wasn't sure if Izzy would help him after he knew…

"Izzy?" Izzy turned to him slowly, making eye contact. "Did-did you bring your laptop?" Izzy nodded, now confused at Davis' question. 

"Why?" Davis sighed, and blurted out his secret. Izzy stepped back; shocked that Davis would do something like that.

"What were you thinking?!" He hissed, soft enough so that no one would hear them. Davis put his arms up in defense.

"I only wanted to turn his tongue green. I never meant for him to get sick. I swear." Izzy saw the tears swelling up in the younger boys eyes. "Everyone's going to hate me after this, I was only trying to be funny…" He whispered, wiping away some loose tears. Izzy sighed, he was mad at the boy, but he realized that he was truly sorry. 

"Davis…TK will be fine…you'll just have to apologize." He put a hand on Davis' shoulder. "Now, why did you want to know about my laptop?" Davis' eyes widened as he nodded.

"Oh yeah! Um, wouldn't Gennai, that guy you're always talking about, know about poisonous food and stuff?" Izzy's eyes widened.

"Oh course! Davis, that's a great idea!" Davis smiled weakly. 

"My first great idea all day…" He mumbled as he sat down next to Izzy. Izzy's laptop was in sleep mode so it was quickly online. 

"_Hopefully_ Gennai installed the instant messenger I told him to download…" Izzy murmured as he signed on as his name _Prodigious27_._Welcome! _

"_Hopefully_ he's signed on." Davis thought to himself. The two boys looked at Izzy's buddy list and sure enough Gennai was on under his name, _Gennai The Wise_.

Prodigious27: Gennai we need your help!

Gennai The Wise: What is it my dear boy?

Prodigious27: Seems that our friend Davis fed TK some poisonous berries.

Davis sat back on his arms, embarrassed. 

Gennai The Wise: Oh no, do you know what kind of berries?

Izzy turned to Davis. "Do you have any of the berries left?" Davis thought for a moment and dug into his pouch. He found a lone berry at the bottom of his pouch. Izzy snatched it out of his hand and on the computer he opened the photo program. The tiny camera attached to the top of the computer quickly took a picture of the little green sphere. He saved the file on the desktop.

Gennai The Wise: Izzy? Where'd you go?

Gennai The Wise: Did something happen?

Gennai The Wise: HELLO?!

Prodigious27: Sorry about the delay, I was taking a picture of the fruit or whatever.

Gennai The Wise: Oh, sorry about my outburst. 

Prodigious27: It's okay.I'm sending the picture now, hold on, my connection isn't as fast as yours.

Izzy opened an e-mail and clicked attach. He found the file of the picture and attached it to the email. He clicked send and watched as the computer uploaded the picture to Gennai's computer.

Prodigious27: Sent. Did you get it?

Gennai The Wise: Excuse me for a second.

Gennai The Wise: Oh no! DAMNIT DAVIS!

Prodigious27: What? What's wrong?!

Gennai The Wise: That's a Welch Berry! The most **_poisonous_** in the Digital World!

Izzy and Davis stared blankly at the screen. 

__"Oh my God." Davis whispered, burying his head in his hands. Izzy pulled himself together and wrote back to Gennai.

Prodigious27: Is there a cure? Please tell me there's a cure!

Gennai The Wise: Yes, there is, but it's risky. 

Prodigious27: PLEASE GENNAI! TK WILL **_DIE!_**

Gennai The Wise: I know! I was going to tell you! There is only one cure and it is the juice from the _Mott Plant_.

Prodigious27: Mott Plant?

_You've got mail! _A happy male voice called. Izzy clicked his mailbox and there was a letter from Gennai. Izzy clicked and a picture of a red wild flower popped up. The five long wide petals were covered with black spots. Izzy quickly attached his portable printer and printed out he picture.

Gennai The Wise: This is the Mott Plant. When you mash it and mix it with water it turns a dark blue and you will give it to TK. You need to do this immediately, TK has only **_days_** to live. I have sent you directions to the location of the flower.

Prodigious27: Thank you Gennai. 

Gennai The Wise: Keep me posted about TK's condition.

Izzy printed the directions then closed his laptop and sighed. He turned to Davis with a sad look in his eyes. Davis had his eyes closed and his hands were rubbing his temples. 

"We have to tell them." Izzy finally said, breaking the silence. Davis nodded, still keeping his eyes closed. 

Izzy and Davis headed towards where the others were huddled around TK. Yolei, Ken, and Cody were sitting on the ground, under a tree, all of them with a solemn look on their face. Tai and Sora were sitting under a separate tree, Tai's arms wrapped around Sora's shoulder. Joe was still leaning over TK, trying to make him as comfortable as humanly possible. And Matt still held on to TK's right hand, while Kari was on the other side of the bench, holding on to his left hand with both of hers.

Davis breathed in deeply, ready to tell them everything, but Izzy got in front of him. 

"We know what it is." He announced. They all jumped up and ran over, Matt in the front. Joe stayed with TK and watched Izzy with curious eyes. Izzy started to explain what they found out. 

"We realized that there were these berries in…the basket. Some of them must've gotten into TK's food." Davis and Joe stared at Izzy in awe. _Why is he covering my story up??_ Davis thought. "We contacted Gennai, and showed him the berry. Turns out it's a Welch Berry and it's highly poisonous." Matt's lip twitched slightly at these words. His eyes started to fill with tears but he held them back.

"And there's a cure right?" He asked a little hysterically. Izzy nodded.

"Yes, the juice from the Mott Plant. But Gennai says we should get it as soon as possible because…well, it might be too late." Everyone's face dropped, Matt turning red.

"Where's this plant?" Sora asked, putting a gentle hand on Matt's shoulder, trying to keep him from breaking. Izzy looked at the directions. 

"It says here that the plant only grows on a mountain behind Primary Village." Matt turned on a heel and headed towards their book bags. 

"I'm going! That's it!" He yelled. The Digidestined followed him.

"Matt! You can't go by yourself!" Tai called, chasing after his best friend. Matt picked up his Digivice and clicked it on his belt buckle. 

"Fine. Who wants to go—" He was cut off by a hoarse voice,

"Matt! Don't—" TK gasped, trying to sit up and turn to see his brother. Joe insisted that he sit back down, but TK wouldn't budge. Matt ran over to his brother and kneeled down, brushing some tears off the little blonde's face.

TK looked horrible, bright red and tired in his face. His arms shook as he tried to keep himself up and he was crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

"Matt, don't leave me. I need you here! Don't leave me brother, don't leave me!" He cried, hugging his brother around his neck. Matt tightened his grip around TK and sobbed.

"It's okay. Shh…it's okay," He cooed "I'll stay with you, and I won't leave, not for one second." He rocked his little brother softly like when he was a baby, and just sat there with him in his arms. 

"Who's going to go now?" Sora asked, watching the two brothers. Joe had joined them, wiping his hands on his shirt. 

"It should be two of the new kids, they know the area better then we do now." The new Digidestined looked at each other, then Davis nervously raised his hand. 

"I'll go." The older and younger kids eyed him oddly, but nodded. 

"Me too." Kari announced pushing some hair out of her face. Tai started to protest but she put her hand in his face. "There's not a single thing you can say that will stop me Tai." She looked over towards the two brothers. You could see in her eyes that she wanted to cry, but Kari was strong and didn't. She couldn't imagine a world without TK, he was her hope, what helped her go on day by day. She sighed and turned to Davis. His face hid all of his emotions, but he didn't look happy at least. Kari looked at her brother and kissed him on the cheek. "We'll be alright."She looked at Davis again, "Davis?" He looked up. "Could you fill your book bag with some things to eat? Who knows how long it will take to find this plant." He nodded and went off to the picnic basket. 

Kari went off to say goodbye to TK and Joe took Izzy off to the side. 

"What the hell are you doing helping Davis?" He hissed at his friend. Izzy looked shocked.

"You know?!" Joe nodded.

"Yes! The little punk told me! How dare you protect him!" Izzy put his hands up in defense, he had a perfectly good reason to protect Davis.

"Joe…Davis is truly sorry, all he wanted was for TK to be embarrassed, he wasn't intending for him to end up like this. I saw it in his eyes, he was almost crying while Gennai talked to us." Joe looked towards Davis, who was filling up his book bag with left over food. He didn't have that normal bouncy movement, he was dead set on doing what his job was and his eyes showed it. Joe sighed, combing a hand through his long blue hair. 

"Argh, alright." He pushed Izzy in the shoulder and walked towards Tai and Sora. He smiled softly and shook his head. 

"Kari, why are you doing this?" TK whispered, gripping Kari's hand. Matt had left his side just so Kari and TK could get some alone time. She smiled softly at him and touched his cheek.

"Because I love you silly." TK smiled weakly, closing his eyes. 

"I love you too." He whispered, opening his eyes again. Kari's heart broke as she realized how sick he really was. She leaned in slowly and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. 

"I'll be back." She whispered in his ear. "You better hang in there TK, or I don't know what I'll do." He nodded, still staring into her eyes. 

"Ok." He answered softly. "I promise." 

Kari got up and joined the others. Davis handed her her book bag and she put it on her back. She looked at each of the other's faces, finally turning to TK, who had fallen asleep behind them. She again looked at Davis. 

"Come on. We've got a flower to find."

So? What you think? Please R+R. 

The whole TK and Matt thing "Don't leave me brother!" Is from this short story I read called "The Scarlet Ibis" it's a really sad story, but I loved it. 

Eh- How Did I Fall in Love with You…I don't know how to end it without it being so short!!

Next part coming soon, I've never been so inspired!!

Until then…

S.C. Hardy


	3. The Adventure Begins...

Chapter 3

Kari and Davis set off on their adventure with their Digimon by their sides. A silence followed the quartet as they kept their quick pace. The Digimon were still in their rookie form, for Kari didn't want them to lose energy.

"Wouldn't we get there faster?" Davis huffed, trying to catch up to Kari. She was speed walking right up a steep hill and Davis could _not_ believe it. 

"I have an idea. A much faster way to get there." Davis sighed, deciding to let Kari lead the way, she was not in the mood for arguments. 

They finally reached the top and Davis saw a Digi Port. He finally realized Kari's idea and smiled. 

"You want to go back to the real world?" Kari nodded, digging through her pocket to find her D-3. 

"Yeah, and come back through a gate right by Primary Village." Davis nodded and picked his D-3 off his belt buckle. 

When they came back to the Digital World, the familiar smell of baby powder and milk filled their noses. They wandered into Primary Village, Davis reading the directions. 

"Gennai says to ask Elecmon where the path to…Magma Mountain…oh shucks. The flower is near the top of the mountain!" He groaned, looking back at Kari. She rolled her eyes softly and continued past him. 

Elecmon was in the day care, putting the babies to sleep. As he tucked in a little black one, he looked up and saw Kari and Davis. He smiled and went outside to join them. 

"Hey!" He whispered. "What brings you two to this neck of the woods?"

"We have to get to Magma Mountain, we need to find the Mott plant." Elecmon looked shocked, like they had just smacked him hard on the face.

"Magma Mountain?! Why would you want to go up there?!" Davis put both of his hands on Elecmon's shoulders and calmed him down. 

"We need the Mott plant! TK is very sick! He needs it to get better!" Elecmon stopped, staring Davis straight in his eyes.

"TK's sick?" He asked softly. He was TK's friend by the look of his face. Davis remembered TK telling him about his stay at Primary Village when he was younger. Davis nodded,

"He's very sick. We need this plant for the antidote." Elecmon nodded almost numbly. 

"Do you know how to get there?" Kari asked softly, bending down to take Elecmon's hand. He looked at her and nodded. 

"Um, yes. Behind the day care is a solid path. That leads all the way to a cave, enter the cave and take the tunnel to the left. Then at next fork that comes take the right, and you'll be at the foot of the mountain." Davis looked at Veemon.

"Will you remember that?" He asked him. Veemon nodded, shooting him a huge smile. 

"Left then right! Got it!" Kari did the same to Gatomon and she also remembered. 

Elecmon waved them goodbye and the four were off. 

"How long till the cave?" Veemon asked Davis, tugging on his jacket. Davis shrugged, looking down at his friend.

"No idea little buddy." Kari whimpered softly. Davis turned to her quickly and asked, "What's wrong?" She shook her head, rubbing her right eye with her fist,

"Oh. Um, nothing. I was just, uh, thinking." Davis kept staring at her, trying to watch where he was walking and watch her at the same time. 

"Yes, there is. You whimpered. Is there something wrong?" Kari stopped and clenched her fists.

"OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG!" She screamed. Her eyes looked apologetic as she took in a couple of short breaths. She started crying uncontrollably, bringing her hands to her face. Gatomon wrapped her paws around Kari's leg, hugging them tightly. Davis didn't know what to do; he's never seen Kari so upset. He looked at Veemon for advice, but the blue Digimon had joined Gatomon in hugging Kari's legs. Davis took a step closer and wrapped his arms around Kari's shoulders, holding her like a real friend.

Kari fell into his arms and sobbed her emotions.

"Oh Davis," She cried. "If I lose him…oh GOD!" She screamed, grabbing on to Davis' shirt. He rubbed her back softly, trying to calm her down. "If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do. I need him; he needs me! I love him!" A few hours ago, Davis would've been furious at such comments, but now, it didn't bother him as much. Sure there was that slight pain in his chest that will never be filled, but he has realized that he would never be with her; she was TK's forever.

"I know Kari, I know. But if we stand here and cry about it, we'll never help him. Okay?" Kari let go of his shirt, but stayed in his arms. She thought for a few moments, her eyes closed softly, thinking of her loved one, and then finally breaking away from him. She wiped her eyes and nodded. 

"Okay. I know, I'm sorry." She whispered, looking towards the ground. Davis shook his head, 

"There's no reason to be sorry…I'm the one who should be sorry, I was always stalking you…I didn't realize what I was doing, at the time I was blind." Kari chuckled.

"At the time? Davis, that was this morning!" He laughed too, finally making Kari smile for the first time on this adventure.

"True, but a lot has changed since then." Kari's smile faded and she sighed.

"Yah…that's true." They walked in silence the rest of the way, the leaves crunching under their feet. 

"Look!" Veemon yelled. "There's the cave!" The others looked up and saw the monstrous cave, resembling a giant grizzly bear roaring and awaiting for its enemy to dare and face him.Kari and Davis turned to each other, each biting their lips. 

"Well, it can't be too bad." Davis finally said, taking a step forward, "I mean, what's the worst that could be in there?" Kari gave him a skeptical look.

"Uh, hello? We're in the Digital World, if you haven't noticed." Davis scratched his head, giving her his embarrassed smile.

"Um, true." He turned towards Veemon, who had gone around him and hid behind his legs. "You ready buddy?" He asked him. Veemon looked up at Davis, a scared look on his face, and then towards the cave. 

"Yesh…" He said, his cute accent coming back. Gatomon purred and headed towards the cave, holding her tail hair and taking tough steps. Kari sighed and followed her, gesturing for Davis to come. 

Davis gave Veemon a little tug, and the two followed the girls. 

It was dark and cold in the cave. Water dripping from the roof and tiny streams flowing down the sides. There where many small hole in the ceiling, letting a few rays of light come through, at least they had some idea of where they were going. The stalactites and stalagmites poked through the floor and ceiling, looking like the teeth of the grizzly.

"Man, I hate the dark." Kari whispered, rubbing her arms with her hands. "Why do the dark and the cold always go together?" Davis shrugged, stepping over a fallen stalactite.

"No idea Kari, completely no idea." He mumbled, tugging on his jacket. Kari sighed again, this time blowing in her hands. 

They walked in silence for the third time on this trek, as they listened to the water drip from up above and the tiny rivers flow. Davis listened as he realized their footsteps were echoing over and over throughout the cave, making the already eerie atmosphere even eerier. 

The first fork came up, and the quartet automatically turned left, not bothering to ask. Entering this tunnel cause the little light they had to disappear, and they entered darkness.

"Great…" Davis moaned, "What do we do now?" The group stopped, not being able to see each other, although they could sense each other's presence. 

"No idea Davis, completely no idea." She mocked him, apparently annoyed at his earlier comment. Davis stuck out his tongue, knowing that she wouldn't see him. "You better stick in that tongue boy or I swear I'll rip it right out of your mouth." 

"How did you know?" He asked, shocked. Kari giggled.

"I didn't. I just thought you would. Thanks for telling me." Kari and Gatomon burst into laughter, while the boys just stood there, stunned.

"Women." Veemon mumbled, crossing his arms. Davis sighed, stomping his foot. 

"So?? What do we do now? How are we going to see where we are going?" Kari tapped her foot, thinking for a solution. 

"I know…we'll keep our hands on the right wall, and when that ends, either we enter the cave to the right, or we keep going until we get out." Davis nodded, clapping his hands.

"Alrighty then, let's go, no time to waste." They each leaned to the right, and found the wall. It was moist and bumpy, making it difficult not to hurt their hands. 

"I think I see a light." Gatomon announced, for she was in front. "It's dim, but cat's eyes are better then humans…and Veemon's."

"Eh!" Veemon called. "How do you know what my eyes are like?" Gatomon hissed softly. 

"Tell me, can you see the light?" Veemon didn't answer, squinting his eyes but to no avail. "Thought so." Gatomon answered smugly.

"Be nice Gatomon…" Kari whispered. The Cat Digimon growled, but kept quiet. Veemon and Davis snickered as Kari rolled her eyes.

The finally reached the end of the tunnel, the sun was gone and the digital stars were shining up above them. 

"How'd it get dark so fast?" Davis mumbled, opening his book bag to take out the beach blankets they had brought to use as some make shift beds. Kari also took out hers, flapping it in the air and letting it fall softly to the ground. 

"We'll use yours as a blanket, it's warmer." She stated. Davis nodded, plopping down on the blanket. Kari looked down on him and smirked. She picked up Veemon and Gatomon and placed them next to Davis, then lying down next to Gatomon. Davis smiled softly and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, tired from the day's events. Gatomon and Veemon pulled the blanket further on top of their two friends and sighed, it was going to be a _long_ night. 

TK awoke with a start, breathing and sweating heavily. He didn't know what had awoken him; something had made his heart jump right out of his chest. He threw off the blanket or whatever it was off him and looked around. He looked at his brother, sleeping on his bench. Matt's head laid on the bench and he sat with his knees tucked under him, snoring softly. TK smiled and again started to breath normally, although he was still shaken up. He looked around, wanting someone to be up, but alas, there was no one. Yolei, Cody, and Ken had each fallen asleep on each other's shoulders, sleeping deeply. Sora was asleep in Tai's arms as Tai's head fell back onto a fallen log. Izzy and Joe were lying near the fire they had started, each using their bags as pillows.

TK threw his legs off the side of the bench, being careful not to hit his brother. Although it pained him, he pushed himself up and stood upright on his weak legs. He slowly shuffled towards the umbrella that was still up, where there bags and everything was. 

The cold breezes made him shiver all over as he fell to his knees, in front of his bag. He had no choice but to fall, his legs had given way under the stress. He leaned over, his legs under his knees, grabbing his stomach. He knew he should be "in bed", but he had to talk to her. He cringed as another pain shot through his body; he took a couple of quick breaths and continued. He crawled towards his green book bag until he heard a voice whisper his name.

"TK," His brother whispered, grabbing on to his shoulders. TK closed his eyes, falling into his brother's arms. "What are you doing up?" Matt whispered, wrapping the jacket he brought with him around TK. TK sighed, pulling the jacket around him.

"I wanted to send Kari a-a-" He coughed, hacking up some gunk. Matt patted his back softly and finished his sentence.

"An email?" TK nodded, wiping his face. Matt sighed, and pulled TK's book bag closer he unzipped it and searched for the D-3. "Ah ha." He said softly, and he turned it on. The screen glowing in the dark and welcoming _Y_T_K_. "I have the letter prepared, what do you want to say?" Even though TK wasn't really in the position to be embarrassed, he was, and blushed. 

"Um, can I write it?" He asked, reaching for the D-3, his hands shaking. Matt smiled and handed to him. TK's hands shook the whole time, but he finished his letter and sent it to Kari. 

"Done?" Matt asked as TK placed the D-3 on the sand. TK nodded, closing his eyes for a second, and then snapping them open.

"Yeah…" He whispered, barely realizing where he was. He tried to continue his sentence, but for a very strange reason he wasn't able to. He touched his chest as he realized that he couldn't breath. TK tried to look at Matt for help but his body wouldn't let him. The world swirled around him and all he could see were the sparks flying from the fire, the bright glow of his D-3, and the scared eyes of his brother. Matt watched as TK fell into his arms, unconscious. 

"TK?" He whispered, giving his brother a soft shake. TK didn't respond, his limp body in Matt's arms. "TK?!" Matt screamed. His scream woke all the others, and they jumped up, ready to fight. 

"Where are you?!" Yolei shrieked; pushing her hair back from the mess it was in. Matt raised his arm and flung it around wildly, while using the other to keep TK off the ground. 

"Over here!!" He screamed, bending down over his brother. He couldn't tell if he was asleep or not, Matt set him on the ground softly. He looked his brother over as Joe stuck a torch in the ground a few feet away from them. TK's mouth was opened slightly and he couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. 

Joe shoved Matt out of the way and opened TK's eyelids; his eyes were rolled back into his head and although Matt wasn't, Joe was pretty sure that TK wasn't breathing…

Uh oh, what's gonna happen? … Sorry for leaving it off like that, lol, it just makes it all the more exciting! Hehe, as Kaientai would say "I'm EVIL!" "INDEED!"

Until then…

S.C. Hardy

  



	4. All My Hope

## Chapter 4

(A/N It's about four in the morning)

_ _

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

_ _

Kari's eyes fluttered open and she held back a yawn. It was late in the night, or early in the morning, who would be sending her a letter? She sat up slowly, not wanting to wake the others. Kari pulled the bag she had used for a pillow out from under her and opened it quickly. She saw the green glow of her D-3 and she pulled it out of the bag. She clicked her Internet server and it logged her on under her name, _The8thChld_.

_ _

_Welcome! You've Got Mail!_

_ _

She clicked her mailbox and up popped the box that contained new, old, and sent mail. In the new mail section a lone letter from _Y_T_K_ resided. Kari's heart pounded as she quickly opened the letter. Gatomon had heard the computer's voice and had crawled into Kari's lap, purred softly and looked at the screen. 

The letter opened and a dark green weird font (that TK had programmed for his D-3, he wouldn't show anyone else but Kari how to do it _A/N__ If the font doesn't come up, it's supposed to be **Papyrus**_) provided Kari with a nice note,

# To. The8thChld

From: Y_T_K

Hi Kari. Sorry if this letter is short, I don't think I'm up to writing an essay. Matt offered to write it, but I wouldn't let him. I couldn't tell him all the things I want to say, it's kinda embarrassing. J I hope you're safe, and that Davis is treating you all right. I send you all my hope because you have given me so much light that my world will never be dark. I'm sorry for having to put you in such a position, but I don't know what's wrong. I don't remember any of those berries. I love you and I hope you're okay. 

Love, 

TK

Gatomon whistled as Kari blushed a deep red.

"Are you going to answer?" Gatomon whispered, stretching out her arms. Kari nodded and set up a new letter. She typed in quickly and showed Gatomon the finished product. 

(A/N This font is supposed to be **Kirsten**)

To: Y_T_K

From: The8thChld

What are you doing up? You should be getting all the rest you can so your T-Cells can help fight the illness! Sorry, I know you don't like Biology that much. TK, I'm fine, Davis is fine, and everyone is fine. At the moment we are at the foot of the mountain and we'll probably find the flower at the end of the day. Go to sleep! I'll leave you with something to set your mind at ease, 

I LOVE YOU! With all my heart and soul, and if your soul ever does become dark, I will be right there to provide the light, even though you already have a lot of it. 

Love,

Kari

Kari sent the letter and realized that TK was online. 

"Duh," She realized. "If he just sent me the letter he would be online!" She set up an instant message and wrote.

The8thChld: Hey you sick boy

Kari waited for a response, knowing that he would be a slower then usual. Gatomon sighed and closed her eyes, almost asleep on Kari's lap. 

The8thChld: You should go to bed, I mean, it's late and you're online, you're sick!

Y_T_K: Kari? It's Sora

The8thChld:Oh, what's up? Why are you under TK's name?

There was a long pause and Kari's gut got a terrible feeling

Y_T_K: Kari…TK just went unconscious…we don't know what happened, Joe is working with him as we speak. He just fainted in Matt's arms and wasn't breathing…I heard his D-3 beeping so I came over and answered your IM. Kari, I don't know what's happening. Tai and I are standing by, we just e-mailed Gennai and he's on his way here. Kari, you have to hurry.

Kari dropped her D-3 on Gatomon's head. ("Ouch! Kari! What the—_Kari_?") Her breaths became short and her hands started to shake uncontrollably. She did the only thing she could think of. She _screamed_. She screamed as if she was being stabbed with a thousand knives all over her body, because that's exactly what she felt like.

Davis and Veemon both woke up at the sound of Kari's scream as it pierced their ears. Davis shot up and got to his feet, ready to fight, but when he looked around, all he was barely able to see was Kari, kneeling over and crying into her hands. Davis slid to his knees and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Kari! What happened?!" She didn't acknowledge him, but Gatomon pushed her D-3 in front of him. Davis read Sora's IM and a huge lump formed in his throat. He gave Kari a sideways hug with his one arm, and then took her D-3.

The8thChld: Sora, this is Davis. We're heading out right now to find the flower, the sun is just starting to come up near the east, tell me, can u see it?

Y_T_K: Yeah, it's coming up from the ocean. I would find it beautiful but in a situation like this I can't.

The8thChld: Okay, good, we're going, over and out.

Davis shut off her D-3 and shoved it in her book bag. Kari was still crying with Gatomon hugging her around the neck. Davis quickly pulled the blankets out from under them, and the other one, and stuffed it all into his bag. Veemon was also consoling Kari, but then he went to help Davis. 

"Veemon, go look through Kari's bag, try to find the flashlight she brought." Veemon nodded. He reached for Kari's bag, slowly at first, but then he opened it and dug through. He pulled out a long black flashlight and shone it in Davis' face. Davis screamed at his friend and told him to shut it off. Veemon did, and went to Gatomon.

"Gatomon, you have to get her to come." Gatomon nodded, shaking Kari's shoulders.

"Kari…we have to get going, we have to find the plant." Kari was still crying when she sat up, looking at Gatomon.

"I sent my light too late, it's too late." She whispered, kneeling over again. Davis pulled her up to her feet and looked into her soft brown eyes that were now red and puffy.

"Don't you _dare_ say that! How can you give up just like that?! We're going now, to find the plant, the faster, the better." Kari gulped, the tears still streaming down her eyes, and nodded. She picked up her book bag and wiped some tears away. 

"I." She started, having to stop since her heart still hurt. "I think they should Digivolve." Gatomon and Veemon sent each other excited looks and turned to Davis. He shrugged and nodded.

"Uh, sure. You ready?" The two Digimon smiled and Veemon went first. 

_VEEMON DIGIVOLVE TO…EXVEEMON!_The large blue winged Digimon flew high into the air and landed roughly next to Davis, shaking the ground. Kari picked up her D-3 and shot it in the air. 

"Digiarmor energize!" She screamed, her voice cracking in the process.

_ _

_GATOMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TO…NEFERTIMON!_ The Sphinx like Digimon opened its angelic wings and flapped them, causing the two humans to back up a few feet. She helped Kari on her back as ExVeemon did the same for Davis. 

"Is he okay?" Sora whispered to Tai after she had shut off TK's D-3. Tai shrugged, putting a supportive arm around her shoulder. 

"I have no idea. Joe won't let us near him." The boys had taken TK back to the bench on which he had been laying the day before, and who knows what Joe, Izzy, and Ken were doing to him now. All the others knew was that they weren't allowed over there and that the situation had turned from bad to _worse_. 

Of course Matt was taking the worst blow of this situation. He stood alone, away from everyone, leaning on a large palm tree. His head was bowed down and his hands were in his pockets. 

Yolei and Cody watched him, wondering what they could do to at least keep his mind off his brother. 

"We could take him to the waterfall, it's so pretty there." Yolei suggested to her younger, but much wiser friend. Cody nodded,

"It's worth a shot." The new young kids walked over to Matt quietly, not wanting to make a big entrance. He didn't look up as they stood only a few feet in front of them.

"Hey Matt," Yolei started nervously. "You want to go by the waterfall? You know, keep your mind off things?" Matt shook his head, and slid against the tree to the ground, landing softly. 

"No thanks." He whispered, now cradling his head in his hands. Yolei turned to Cody, but the boy just sighed. The two left Matt alone, joining Sora and Tai. The two younger ones talked to the older kids and Sora got an idea. She excused herself from the group, and started towards Matt, who was on the brink of tears. 

She squatted near him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Matt looked up slowly, and when he realized it was Sora, he brushed away some of the tears that had just exploded out of his bright blue eyes. 

"Matt…why don't you play us some music? I'm sure you have your harmonica with you…right?" Matt just stared at her for a second. _Music? In this kind of situation?_ He thought. But he knew Sora was right, she was always right. He always had his harmonica in his pocket and he always played it to the group when they were down. Something about his songs just brought back some sort of _hope_ into the group. Matt knew why of course although he didn't tell the others or TK; he had written most of these songs _for _TK when he was younger. When he would get upset, Matt would just play and play until he either forgot about what was going on, or fell asleep on his lap. Matt smiled at the memories and then quickly pulled Sora into a hug. She hugged him back tightly as he whispered in her ear, 

"Thank you…" She nodded, breaking their connection. She left and joined Tai as Matt took out his harmonica and started to play TK's favorite song.

"What do the directions say?" Kari yelled to Davis. The four were now flying through the air, circling the rather steep mountain. Davis pulled the piece of paper out of his pockets and read,

"It says: The Mott Plant only grows in cold temperatures. The plant grows at the very top of the mountain, where only a few creatures thrive." He screamed over the wind. Kari and Davis looked up and saw that the top of the mountain was very high up, and the two became scared. 

"Can the Digimon make it up there?" Kari yelled back, looking at Davis, then to Nefertimon. Nefertimon nodded,

"Don't worry Kari!" She said proudly. "We'll be able to make it, the question is, can you guys handle it? There's very little oxygen up there!" Kari thought for a moment, was she strong enough to take it? She was positive Davis wouldn't give up on her, but she questioned herself. Then she remembered what TK had said,

"_I send you all my hope because you have given me so much light that my world will never be dark." _He sent her everything he had…she has to at least try for him, even if it hurts her.

"Let's do it!" She screamed, turning towards Davis. "Feel like getting some altitude goggle boy?" Davis smiled wildly and nodded.

"Hells ya! Come on ExVeemon!" The blue Digimon smiled happily and zoomed almost entirely vertically up the side of the mountain. Kari and Nefertimon shared an annoyed look, and then took off after the boys.

"Ye haw!" Davis screamed as they rose higher and higher. The two broke through clouds, perspiration moistening their bodies. Davis looked back and saw the girls steadily catching up, a competitive look on each of their faces. Davis leaned over to ExVeemon's ear and whispered, "Let's kick it into overdrive, let's show those girls what we're made of!" ExVeemon's laugh was full of aggression as he flapped his wings harder and he ascended much faster. 

Nefertimon took this sudden increase in speed as a challenge, and _of course_, she couldn't decline a challenge. She also started to pump her wings hard and soon she and ExVeemon were almost neck-to-neck. 

"Fancy seeing you here!" She yelled at him, sending him a nasty smile. ExVeemon sent her an equally nasty smiled and suddenly turned horizontal, for they had reached the flat top of the mountain. Nefertimon flew further up a few feet, but came back down and landed near ExVeemon and Davis. 

Kari and Davis' hair had been blown all over, although you really didn't notice the difference in Davis', and they were a little flustered, but the two were laughed excitedly. 

"WOW! That was better then the Scream Machine!" Davis' yelled, talking about his favorite roller coaster. Kari nodded in agreement, combing some of her hair down and back into place. She found it a little difficult to breath, but did not mention it to the others; she didn't want to worry them. 

"Let's find that Mott flower, then we can go straight to the beach." She said tiredly, taking in a few breaths. "We'll go by foot as you two fly over." The two Digimon nodded, taking to the air once again, hovering a few feet off the ground. 

The top of the mountain was almost barren, green bushes and a lone tree being the only signs of life. The bushes were very thorny and it was hard to get through them without scratching your legs. Kari and Davis spilt up and Kari took off towards the left. 

She was getting frustrated. The top of the mountain was maybe twice as big as the playground at school, but still after twenty minutes of searching, no one found the flower. 

It was ExVeemon who found it. 

"Over here!" He called, flying over an extension of the mountain. The others joined him and Kari's shoulders sulked. It seem sort of like a plank from a pirates ship, and at the end, was the Mott Plant. 

It was prettier then Kari had imagined, it's red petals almost shining in the bright light. Thick black spots covered those petals and it didn't have a stem, it popped right out of the ground. 

"Who's gonna get it?" Davis asked, taking a step towards the flower. Kari stuck her arm out to the side, hitting Davis in the chest and stopping him.

"I will. You're two clumsy." Davis blushed, but nodded. Kari climbed onto Nefertimon's back and the Digimon flew off the edge, and hovered just about a foot from the plant. Kari wasn't able to fully pull the plant out of the ground. "Nefertimon, you have to get me a little closer, I can't pull it out without using both hands, or I'll fall." Nefertimon ascended slightly, getting Kari a few more inches closer to the flower. Now, Kari was able to reach the flower and she tugged with all her might, careful to have her legs tightly around Nefertimon's body, just incase. 

A breeze started to grow and as if on cue, once Kari pulled the flower out, the wind knocked it right out of her hands.

"NOOOOO!!!" They all screamed as they watched the flower fall to the ground so far beneath them. Kari grabbed on tightly to Nefertimon's hair and screamed,

"DIVE!" Nefertimon obeyed and the two were now in a nosedive, completely vertical to the mountain, chasing after the flower that floated towards its doom. Davis and ExVeemon peered over the edge and prayed to who ever they wished, that the girls would be okay.

Kari and Nefertimon's hair flew back as they zoomed towards the Mott plant. 

"_Oh please let us reach it…oh please…its TK's only hope!_" Nefertimon's wings were almost planted flat against her body; they were the only things keeping them from just falling to their doom. 

"KARI!" YOU HAVE TO REACH FOR IT OR IT'LL BE TOO LATE!"Kari's heart pounded as she realized what she had to do. She was grabbing on too Nefertimon's hair with both hands, scared of falling. Kari looked over her Digimon's shoulder as saw the ground getting closer and closer…

Kari looked towards the side and saw the flower floating along with them. Slowly, she let one hand go of Nefertimon's hair and reached out. She felt her body float away from Nefertimon's and now she was almost flying along with her, if it wasn't for her other hands grip on the Digimon's hair. 

She closed her eyes and thought of TK. "_I need to help him. I need to help him. He's my hope; I'm his light. Together we'll help this world and it will all be right again." _She opened her eyes and stuck her arm out, grabbing the Mott plant.

"GOT IT!" She screamed. Nefertimon made a sharp turn and was now flying only feet above the trees. Kari clung to the Mott plant with all of her might, making sure not to drop it again. 

"Well," Nefertimon said, "_That _was fun." Kari laughed a weak laugh and tightened her grip around the Digimon's neck. 

"Um, how do we get Davis?" Kari whispered, obviously still shaken up. 

"No need to worry fair maiden!" A voice from above yelled. The girls looked up and saw Davis and ExVeemon flying down towards them. "We decided we'd join you! Did you get the flower?" Kari raised the flower in victory and everyone cheered. 

"Let's get back to camp then!" Nefertimon yelled and they started towards the east, flying at full speed. 

Ooooh, okay, that was longer then the others, I really want people to review this, but FanFiction.net never posts my stories!!! I really hope this goes up, even though I will continue it even if it doesn't get posted.

Until then…

S.C. Hardy


	5. The End

Chapter 5: The Final Chapter

Kari and Davis flew at tremendous speed over the Digital Forest. The wind blew their hair back and flapped their cheeks. 

"Uh, Kari?" Nefertimon asked her companion. Kari looked at her friend and nodded. "Can we make a pit stop? I don't think I'll be able to make it on one giant burst of energy." ExVeemon also turned to Davis,

"Yeah, my wings are getting tired, see how we've been going slower…and _slower_…" ExVeemon took a deep breath and then he pummeled to the ground. 

"AHHHH!!!!" Davis, Kari, and Nefertimon screamed. ExVeemon and Davis went shooting past trees, Davis finally realizing that he had to jump off if he was going to survive. The branches of the trees were becoming fewer and fewer so Davis decided to make his jump….

"NOW!" He screamed, jumping off his friend's back. His hands barely grabbed on to a thick branch, and he pulled his upper body over it. He watched as his companion fell to the ground with a large _thump_, not moving at all. Davis wanted to cry, but first, he had to find a way to get down. 

Joe looked at the body that was his friend, TK. The young boy was still unconscious, but at least he was breathing…barely. He watched as his chest rose very slowly, and then…drop. He watched this process who _knows_ how many times, until Izzy tapped Joe on the shoulder. Joe turned to him slowly, a sad look on his face.

"Yes?" He asked, combing a hand through his blue hair, which hadn't been combed since yesterday. Izzy looked down at the sick boy and then back to Joe.

"How long?" He asked quietly, scratching his head. Joe didn't full understand his question, but then it clicked and he looked back down at the boy.

"Let's just pray that those two get back here before six." Izzy looked at his watch,

"But Joe, it's five thirty!" Joe didn't look up at Izzy, but Izzy could tell that the situation was very grim. 

"DAVIS!!" Kari screamed, slowing headed towards the ground on Nefertimon's back. "WHERE ARE YOU??" She heard a soft groan to the right of them and the two saw Davis hanging on for dear life.

"Kari!" He yelped, slipping. Nefertimon flew to his side and Kari helped Davis onto the Digimon. Davis wrapped his arms around Kari's waist, but when he realized what he was doing, he let go quickly, and blushed. Kari smiled and they headed down towards ExVeemon, he had turned back into DemiVeemon. Davis jumped off Nefertimon's back and ran off towards his friend. 

He scooped up the little blue Digimon and held him in his arms tightly. "Oh I'm sorry for working you so hard! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The little Digimon clung on to Davis' shirt and hugged what he could.

"It's not your fault, I should've said something earlier!" The girls watched as the two boys embraced and smiled.

_"Guess they're not total jerks after all…"_ They both thought.

Tai and Sora sat by the shore, letting the wave hit their feet. Sora wasn't in any mood to talk, and neither was Tai. He slowly took her hand, and rubbed it slowly. She gave him a weak smile; she would've reacted a lot differently if it weren't for TK. She looked over her shoulder and saw Matt sitting there by a tree, all by himself, his head in his hands. He had been playing his harmonica, but Sora guessed that it hadn't helped all that much. Sora looked down towards her feet and breathed in deeply.

"Excuse me Tai," She whispered, letting go of his hand. Tai looked confused, but he nodded, placing his hand in his pocket. 

Sora got up and headed towards Matt, stopping right in front of him. He didn't look up; he hadn't noticed she was there. She got down on her knees and hugged him around the neck. The sudden grabbing of his neck startled Matt, but when he realized it was Sora, he hugged her right back.

"He'll be ok." She whispered, rocking him slightly. Matt sighed and held back his tears.

"I know, but it's so hard to see him like that." He choked. "I was always able to help him before and now…I'm useless." He started crying now, Sora patting his back as the tears started to soak her shoulder.

After about twenty minutes of rest, Nefertimon took Kari, Davis, and DemiVeemon on her back, and the group was off again. 

There was silence as they flew high over the trees; no one really knew what to say in a desperate moment such as this. 

Davis had to hold on to DemiVeemon and Kari's waist so that neither of them would fall off. It was a very odd position to be in, but Davis decided not to let his emotions get the best of him. If he had been able to control them yesterday, none of this would have ever happened. He looked at the back of Kari's head.

"_Oh man…_" He thought. "_She doesn't know! She doesn't know what I did…_" He felt the familiar lump in his throat and he tightened his grip around DemiVeemon. "_I'll tell her after this is all over…after TK is all better_."

"I can see the ocean!" Kari yelled excitedly. "We're almost there!" She turned around to face Davis. "Do you know what time it is?" Davis nodded, pulling up his sleeve and checking out his digital watch. 

"Um, it's five to five." 

Yolei, Cody, and Ken wandered up and down the beach. Yolei and Cody had gone back to the real world to tell all the parents that their children had…well, whatever the two could think of at the time. Ken was busy helping Joe and Izzy, although Joe really didn't let him do anything, just to make sure that he was breathing at a normal pace.

"How is he Ken? Really?" Yolei asked him, breaking the silence. Ken closed his eyes, then turned and looked at her. 

"Well Yolei, it's not good. From what I was able to tell, his cells aren't immune to whatever the poisoning was, and the T-Cells have no way of fighting it since it's so foreign. Hopefully Kari and Davis get back in time. Although I think it's too—" He stopped himself from finishing the sentence. He turned away from Yolei and looked straight ahead. Yolei's eyes welled up in tears, but she held them back, trying to be strong. 

Cody on the other hand, squinted his eyes towards the sky, shading them with his hand. 

"They're here." He whispered, stopping where he was. Yolei and Ken stopped to look at him. 

"What did you say?" Yolei asked. Cody pointed towards a flying figure. As it got closer, they were able to tell that there were two figures on it's back, waving madly. 

"THEY'RE HERE!!" The three of them screamed, turning back and racing towards the campsite. "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE!" 

Kari and Davis waved towards their three friends, while Nefertimon slowly descended to make her landing as soft as possible. She quietly landed near the burnt out fire, and even before her feet were fully on the ground, Kari and Davis had already jumped off and heading towards Joe and TK. 

The others had gotten up and joined them, Joe in front, making wild gestures with his hands.

"Where's the plant?" He asked, trying to stay calm, although you could clearly see the anticipation on his face. Kari opened her book bog and pulled out the red plant, it was a little wrinkled, but other then that, the flower was in good shape. Joe grabbed it out of her hands and ran towards TK, or as Tai had started calling it, the ER. 

Joe reached the ER and stuck the flower in this half coconut thing that Cody had found. He poured water in it from his water container and started mashing it up with a large stick he had found. The others stood behind him, careful not to bother. Izzy and Davis watched as the once red liquid turned blue and the two smiled. 

"_It's working_!" They both thought.

Matt had helped TK sit up, although the boy was still unconscious. Joe poured the liquid back into the container, careful not to spill anything. He brought the bottle up to TK's mouth. He lifted his chin and sighed,

"Ok TK, you'll have to deal with me for the time being." Matt helped open his brother's mouth and Joe slowly started to pour in the liquid. 

After it was all gone, there was a brief moment of silence, as if they all had anticipated TK waking up right away and it would all be normal again. It didn't happen. 

Matt laid TK back down, a disappointed look upon his face. "What do we do now?" He asked, brushing some hair out of his brother's face. Joe stood up and scratched his head.

"I guess we wait, we've done all we could."The Digidestined each gave their own sad sighs. 

"Um," Yolei said. "Let's go to that waterfall. It'll clear everyone's mind." A look spread around the circle and finally everyone turned to Matt. He looked at them, then to TK. He nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Let's let him rest. We make to much noise anyways." Kari's face dropped, but she understood Matt. 

The waterfall did relax everyone. Matt actually smiled and laughed when Sora and Kari pushed Tai into the lake. Izzy and Joe were checking out the tiny Digimon that lived in the tide pools, taking in information on Izzy's laptop. The younger kids still had their bathing suits on so they shed those, climbed up the side of the waterfall and jumped. (They all screamed "CANONBALL!!!") 

The Digimon were also able to relax. Armadillomon and Hawkmon got into a friendly water fight. Wormmon sat upon Veemon's (he had Digivolved) back and the two were taking a tour around the lake. Patamon and Gatomon were lying on their backs, trying to get a suntan, but that was stopped when Veemon splashed them with his large paddling feet. 

"This is the _LAST_ straw you little blue vermin!" She screamed, reaching for Veemon, but Patamon grabbed her tail and pulled her back, letting Veemon and Wormmon get away. 

After about and hour- hour and a half – the group headed back, Davis telling them jokes. 

"So then she says, 'I can't believe it! It's tastes like chicken!' DUH!!!" The group roared in laughter and Davis bowed in front of them. Then Cody just…stopped. Davis ran into him, falling back and starting the domino effect on everyone else. "What are you doing?" Davis yelled, rubbing his bottom. Cody just pointed his hand out towards the ER. 

"_Where's_ TK?" 

The group ran towards the ER and sure enough, TK was nowhere to be found. His shoes were gone, and the blanket that had been covering him was neatly folded and placed at the end of the bench. 

"Looks like he's better…" Joe said, causing everyone to smile. "But he probably freaked when he woke up, having no one here." 

"Oh I'm sorry!" Yolei cried. "I should've never had suggested leaving!" Matt put a hand on her shoulder, causing Yolei to blush furiously.

"Don't worry Yolei, we all needed a break." She nodded, hiding her face. Tai got in front and opened his arms.

"Okay then, it's operation: Find TK." 

"Where would he have gone?" Kari wondered. 

"So, how are you feeling young one?" Gennai asked TK. TK shrugged, squinting his eyes and looking out into the ocean. 

"Better. I guess. Just wish that someone had been there." Gennai nodded and stared into the ocean with the boy.

"Ah, but they had been with you the entire ordeal, they deserved a break." TK nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"I know, but it would've been nice if I had woken up to Matt…or Kari." He blushed and looked away from the beautiful sunset.

"Yes. I know what you mean." Gennai then sat down on the sand and put his legs under him. TK did the same, thinking that it was only polite. "Tell me TK, what did you dream of?" TK was taken aback, why would he want to know that?

"Um, I would have normal dreams…but there was something strange about them." Gennai turned to the blonde boy. "There would be this…I don't know how to describe it…a dark angel? He looked like Angemon, but…" He chuckled. "Dark. I don't know. He would appear in the background, in every dream. I guess he was death knocking at my door…" His voice trailed of, thinking about what he had just said. He was so close to death…

"No young one, he was not that kind of angel…" Gennai said, looking out towards the ocean again. "This is a sign Takeru." TK's eyes widened. No one had called him that since he was a baby, since before Matt thought up his nickname. "The next time you see this…dark angel, you tell me. I have a strong feeling that this means what the old books have been saying." TK thought about this, but he didn't ask Gennai what he had meant. It was probably some old prophecy that he had been looking up. A dark angel? Maybe it was just a coincidence. 

"TK!!" A voice screamed. The two looked over to their left and saw a lone figure walking towards them. TK could tell right away from the way they walked that it was Kari. He looked towards Gennai, and Gennai nodded.

"Go young one." He gave a dismissing gesture. "Go, you both have been waiting for this." TK smiled, and patted Gennai on the shoulder.

"Thank you." 

"KARI!!" TK screamed, running towards Kari. Not at his normal fast speed, but fast enough for a boy who had been poisoned. Kari saw him and also started running. _He's okay!_ She thought happily. _I helped him!_  
When the two finally met, TK wrapped his arms around Kari's waist and lifted her up, spinning around. The two laughed as Kari floated back to the ground. Staring into each other's eyes, the two moved closer and joined together in a deep kiss, one that they had never experienced before.

Matt watched as hi brother and Kari kissed. The others joined him, and Tai had to be held back by Sora ("Tai…don't you dare!" "But! She's my baby sister!!" "SHE'S FOURTEEN!"). Matt smiled and decided to let the two finish whatever, and headed back over to the campsite.

Davis watched the two for a few seconds, finally letting the last remaining romantic emotions towards Kari float away, into the ocean. He turned around and headed towards the campsite with the others.

_A dark figure watched the two young ones embrace. Alone in the forest, his long black hair hanging loosely around his head and his tattered wings were folded on his back. His evil grin grew as he watched TK and Kari tighten their hug, and kiss deeply again._

_"The angels have joined, and so it begins…." He whispered, and then disappeared into the air. _

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Okay, there is an epilogue coming, so sorry if it just kind of, ended. Who is that dark figure? Ooh, I'll just tell you that it's a seed…

Until then…

S.C. Hardy

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